Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The passélais mill, located in Savenay, Loire-Atlantique, is a small-foot windmill or wasp size, dated 1545. Originally, it had a single floor with sail wings and a guivre, belonging to the lord of the Pâclais. Its technical features include two pairs of grinding wheels, a lift bag, a regulator, a blutery, and a cast iron wheel and lantern. Its roof, covered with chestnut shingles, rotates on rack. The arms of the Bessard family of the Park, lords of the places in the 16th century, are carved there, accompanied by the date of construction.

In 1911, after a fire, the mill was raised on two floors, allowing the installation of two pairs of wheels and wings Berton, giving it a disproportionate silhouette nicknamed big head. In spite of the subsequent abandonment, it was restored between 1982 and 1991: the destruction of an appentis in 1982, the repair of the roof, the floors, the oilworks (1986-1987), and the complete renovation of the structure and the wing in 1991. This work allows him to regain a working state. The monument was listed as a Historic Monument in 1996.

The mill illustrates the technical evolution of windmills in Pays de la Loire, moving from a simple medieval structure to a modernized building in the early 20th century. Its hybrid architecture, blending ancient elements (close feet, chestnut shingles) and recent additions (additional floors, Berton wings), makes it a unique testimony of regional milling history. The presence of seigneurial weapons and the date engraved in 1545 underscores its anchoring in local history, linked to the Bessard family of the Park.

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